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Chinatown’s Friecracker 10K, Year of the Tiger 2-28-10
Another great day in So Cal and another great race!
Train Focused, Steve Mackel – SoCalRunning.com Co-founder
If You Don’t Race This Saturday in Catalina’s Buffalo Half Marathon – Here’s What You Will Miss
Here’s my video from 2009’s Buffalo Half. Not like most because I put camera away and ran hard. I took 1st in my age group and 17th overall last year. Even better, our MarathonTraining.TV group did fantastic. We had 10 podium spots, many PRs, lots of first timers crossing the finish line and everyone had fun.
I still don’t know if I will try to defend my title or just have fun and film. Pray for another sunshiney day.
Race Focused, Steve Mackel – Certified ChiRunning® Instructor
“Born to Run” Author Chirstopher McDougall Talks to SoCalRunning.com
It was my favorite book of last year, Born to Run. It is a must read or listen if you are a runner.
In this interview Christopher McDougall shares why he wrote he book and his love for running. It is a short clip yet gives you a glimpse into the psyche of this author/runner.
Sometimes meeting the author give you a clearer picture as you turn the pages. It helped me imagine the “Oso” plowing his way through the Copper Canyons and inspired my running overall.
Read Focused, Steve Mackel – ChiRunning® Instructor
Learn About Newton Running Shoes
Here’s the first of my video experiences with Newton Shoes. I don’t want to give my review away yet because I will be posting a video review of the Gravity shoe in the next few weeks but I did think it was important to understand this shoes and how it works.
I was at the Tucson Marathon, at their expo, and as soon as I saw the Newton booth I asked Steve who works for Newton to let me interview him about these shoes.
Watch the video and learn more about Newton running shoes.
Train Focused, Steve Mackel RRCA Certified Marathon Training Coach
Finding the Proper Running Shoe Fit
I stopped by Road Runners Sports in Torrance and met with store manager and fit specialists Teresa to talk about running shoe fit.
There are lots of things to consider when you are purchasing running shoes and the first thing I think about is the return policy. When a store stands behind their fit then they are invested in doing it right and getting you into a shoe you’ll like.
Most “Running Stores” have a return policy. I like Road Runner Sports because they have a 60 day return policy.
Remember when getting running shoes it is usually best to get your shoes from a “Running Store” because their job is to take good care of you.Some of my other favorite stores in So Cal are A Snail’s Pace, Run With Us, Runner’s High.
Fit Focused, Coach Steve
Smoothie Shopping with Coach Steve
Thanks to Ashley at Whole Foods in Pasadena for getting me the permission to shoot in the store. This is the first installment in a bunch of smoothie videos. Look for them soon.
Train Focused and Eat Colorful – Steve Mackel, Sole Runners Marathon Training Program Head Coach
Strength and Balance Training for Speed with ChiRunning® Coach Ryan Miller
ChiRunning® Coach Ryan Miller out of Boston runs a 5k in 15 minutes and change, that’s fast, you do the math. With ChiRunning® and a stability disc, he has taken time off his old PR. He demonstrates some exercises and talks about secrets that help him pass his competitors.
Check out Ryan Miller web site: http://www.sisuproject.com/
Balance and Focus, Coach Steve, CPT
Trail Running with the Sole Runners
What an unbelievable weekend in So Cal.
i am looking forward to a fantastic 2010. Join us
Sole Runners
Train Focused, Coach Steve, Sole Runner Head Coach
Tucson Marathon Post Race Comments
I went to Tucson to attempt to qualify for Boston or also known as “BQ.” It is a down hill course late in the year which may be a reason almost everyone at this race has BQ on their mind. It is an entirely different mindset from any other marathon I have ever been at. All the runners look fast and most are.
My race comments are on the video, so below are the things I didn’t talk about on the video. The elevation chart doesn’t do this race justice. It has some tough sections that the chart doesn’t show. It doesn’t feel as down hill as the chart makes it look. My Garmin showed the same down hill profile but it seemed flatter. There was a strong headwind in our face that slowed us down and probably cost my friend Bruce his BQ, he missed by 39 seconds.
Down hill races may be harder than flatter courses. I did some long down hill runs but my legs ran out of energy on race day. Moving around that night and the next day was difficult. They felt worse than they have felt in a long time, even after longer, “harder” races. In the end, this race became a real test. I just wanted it to be over and I still had 6 miles to go with little leg strength. I walked more than I ran on the way in. It was frustrating and I wanted to quit, but I don’t like quitting unless I am going to injure myself. I pushed forward to the end and still ended up with a 4:07 or 4:06 on my Garmin. Click Here to look at my Garmin Stats.
Good race overall but little crowd support and getting back to our cars after the race was a nightmare. It took way too long, so they have to work on that and at least get more buses post race.
Overall, Tuscon was a great place to visit and the course was beautiful, I am into desert scenery. It was a learning experience and I am glad I did it. Lessons were learned, now it is time to get back out there and Train Focused!
Steve Mackel – MarathonTraining.TV Founder
Marathon Training Tips with Robert Gillanders, PT, DPTs
I shot this video 2 days before running the Marine Corps Marathon. I had just met Robert Gillanders, PT, DPT and really liked the direction he takes his athletes. Click Here to Visit His Web Site http://doctorgsportstherapy.blogspot.com/
In this short interview, Gillanders highlights three points that I will be spending a lot of time on this web site: Hip Strengthening, Core Strengthening and Having Fun.
Check it out and thanks for watching.
Train Focused,
Steve Mackel, RRCA Certified Marathon Coach
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